Newsletter

School board finishes year better than expected

Higher revenue and lower expenses may combine for the Effingham County school district to finish the year $1.4 million less in the hole than expected.

“The really good news is we collected more than anticipated and expenses were down so we don’t have to transfer as much money from fund balance to pay bills,” said Superintendent Randy Shearouse.

Property tax collections were higher than projected and ongoing attempts to cut costs, such as not filling every vacant position, added up to higher than expected savings, said Ron Wilson, finance director for the district.

Instead of using $3.4 million in fund equity, as originally planned, to balance the budget at the end of the fiscal year that ended June 30, the district will use $2 million, Wilson said.

The numbers aren’t final yet, but those were the estimates as of the board’s Aug. 1 meeting.

“We’re not in the hole as bad as feared,” Wilson said.

The district has enough cash on hand that if it is managed properly and nothing catastrophic happens, it shouldn’t have to take out tax anticipation notes while it waits for this year’s property taxes to be collected, he said.

For the next fiscal year, the school system set the millage rate at 16.897 — 10 percent higher than last year. But because property values fell about 10 percent over last year, the system will collect the same total amount in property taxes as it did last year.

The district is planning to use $2 million in leftover sales tax funds during the next fiscal year to keep from raising the millage rate even more. The budget was balanced with no reduction in the calendar or furlough days.

Also on Aug. 1, the board agreed unanimously to spend $400,000 on reading programs for middle school students.

The Scholastic READ 180 and System 44 programs will be used to help 260 students at Effingham County Middle School, 200 students at South Effingham Middle School and 140 students at Ebenezer Middle School.

Shearouse said the programs can be paid for with education special-purpose, local-option sales tax. The students will have age-appropriate reading materials that are interesting and challenging for their reading level.

Teachers will be trained to use computer programs and will work with the students for about an hour a day.

Pam Waller, account executive for Scholastic, told the board that the programs will help students reach much higher expectations that are coming soon.

She said the initial investment in the programs is the most costly. “You don’t have to pay for it every year to continue using it,” she said. “You have the materials.”

School board members also heard a report on Aug. 1 about new federal standards for school lunches, which increase the availability of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. The new rules also calls for less fat and sugar, less sodium, lower saturated fats and no trans fat.

And Judith Shuman, student and professional learning coordinator, explained to board members the move toward common core state standards, which are meant to prepare all students for college and/or careers.

She said students will be taught to “read like detectives and write like reporters,” with an emphasis on being “concise, precise and factual.” Less emphasis will be placed on studying literary text and more emphasis will be placed on studying informational text.